Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

This is the definitive, textually accurate edition of a classic of twentieth-century literature, The Great Gatsby. The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan has been acclaimed by generations of readers. But the first edition contained a number of errors resulting from Fitzgerald's extensive revisions and a rushed production schedule. Subsequent printings introduced further departures from the author's words. This edition, based on the Cambridge critical text, restores all the language of Fitzgerald's masterpiece. Drawing on the manuscript and surviving proofs of the novel, along with Fitzgerald's later revisions and corrections, this is the authorized text  The Great Gatsby as Fitzgerald intended it.

Review

"Now we have an American masterpiece in its final form: the original crystal has shaped itself into the true diamond. This is the novel as Fitzgerald wished it to be, and so it is what we have dreamed of, sleeping and waking." James Dickey

Review

"It is humor, irony, ribaldry, pathos and loveliness....A curious book, a mystical, glamorous story of today." Edwin C. Clark, The New York Times

Synopsis

Fitzgerald's tale of American values in the jazz age of the 1920s is one of the great classics of 20th-century literature.

Description

Includes bibliographical references (p. [213]-214).

About the Author

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1896, attended Princeton University, and published his first novel, This Side of Paradise, in 1920. That same year he married Zelda Sayre and the couple divided their time between New York, Paris, and the Riviera, becoming a part of the American expatriate circle that included Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, and John Dos Passos. Fitzgerald was a major new literary voice, and his masterpieces include The Beautiful and Damned, The Great Gatsby, and Tender Is the Night. He died of a heart attack in 1940 at the age of forty-four, while working on The Love of the Last Tycoon. For his sharp social insight and breathtaking lyricism, Fitzgerald stands out as one of the most important American writers of the twentieth century.

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What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating 5 (10 comments)

I finally found this masterpiece !!! The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books. I was required to read this book for my French literature class and recently got the opportunity to read the English version. The tragic love story of Gatsby and Daisy is portrayed beautifully in this novel. The main character, Gatsby, is neither a hero nor an anti-hero but you cannot help but root for him. Most the characters are somehow shallow but are memorable and have distinctive personalities. The themes and symbolism used in this book are profound and left a great impression on me. I also like how the author painted us a picture of the conflicting issues of social class and corruption going on at that time. I have read this book (the french version) at least four times and cannot wait to order the English version. This book is an American classic and fully deserves its popularity. I wish more people will give this novel a chance.

This tale of unrequited love among the wealthy is told with such haunting beauty that parts of it have a lyrical quality.
Fitzgerald's understanding of his characters and what motivates them is surpassed only by his obvious love for them. This is a tale of love gone wrong, seen through the eyes of the narrator, Nick. Even while wishing Daisy had more substance to her, I couldn't help but admire her for understanding who she is, and coming to the realization which sets in motion a chain of events no one could have foreseen.

Had no idea what to expect-I knew it would be good but no one ever talks about what the book is about. Even the back cover was evasive, letting you think it's a love story (well it is...sort of). I won't give it away but I must say that it is beautiful, vivid, unlike anything I've read before!

I read this because it is supposed to be one of the great American novels and I felt I have not exposed my self to enough literature-especially since I read the Twilight saga this year. I found the story easy to get into and the writing not at all above my head like I had feared. It was a beautiful world to get lost in, and his wording sent me there. After I finished I felt disapointed, I did not think it was that great, did not see what the fuss was about. Now that I have pondered this novel for a week I realize I was supposed to feel this way. I want to get to know Gatsby better, I want to know what happened between him and Daisy when Nick was not around, but we can't and neither could he, theirs was a closed world, staged for others to see only what they wanted them to see. They were selfish, deceitful people that could be witty and kind at will. We realize as Nick does that they really do not know what they are doing and are like children throwing their toys around. After all the beauty of the setting and the near perfect prose, the bereft feeling at the end more pronounced and more real. I already can't wait to read this again so I can savour it more.

Sometimes the classics are the best--they remind you of the measure between everyday fiction and timeless fiction. Gatsby is not only expertly written, but full of philosophical passages that are a sheer wonder. I recently saw Elevator Repair Service's marathon performance, reading the whole novel, and it was a true revelation of words. If they are performing anywhere in your vicinity, run to see them do this book, the ultimate "talking book" experience. In the meantime, read The Great Gatsby yourself--for the sheer pleasure of it.

The greatest book of the 20th century, IMHO. I read this every eighteen months or so just to savor the writing. Everything in it is just about perfect: the characterizations, the settings, the descriptions, the plot lines - I can't think of any weak spots.

Drama, drama, and more drama! Need I say more?!
I love this book because it's like a movie filled with so many things going on at once. What's amazing about it is that all of the different 'scenes' tie in together and it really gets the reader thinking! This book is absolutely amazing and really interesting.